Neil's Fly Box memories

[Jonezee]

Thanks Neil for the fine fly box nostalga stories. We all have memories of one sort or another when it comes to a piece of fly gear (flies and their storage boxes, reels and rods) that evokes the "moment" that brings back the "Good Old Days". My favorite fly storage container was the old 35mm flim storage cans. I mean the yellow can, red screw on top Kodak can. I never marked them, just keep opening one up until I got what I was looking for. I always knew what pocket held what so that helped in some respects. Now, years later, the same thrill is there...wonder what is in this one? They have all been replaced in the new vest I got sometime in the late 80's with aluminum boxes with magnetic holders or the clear plastic bins that take the fun out of rooting around for the fly of the moment. I wonder what old container others used? It won't be long before the black plastic with snap on lid 35mm storage containers will be antiques with the advent of digital cameras. Even Altoid cans would do in todays world.

[MontanaMoose]

Jonezee, my oldest 'not meant to be a flybox' is a Sucrets tin. I use Altoids tins too..I just have to remember to take them out of the vest, open them and set them out to dry between trips is all. Like you, I enjoy the break given by rummaging through the 'cant see inside' boxes till I find what I'm looking for. Sometimes it's suddenly not about the fly, but a memory triggered of another time !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[Better Loops]

I use a Fisherman's Friend tin to put the flies I want to keep for memories sake. Fisherman's Friend is a cough drop that comes in an Altoid sized tin. The drops don't taste very good but they do seem to work. I take an old plastic credit card and clip the corners to fit in the box. One of the card's I used was a North American Fishing Club card (just trying to keep the theme). I then use zap a gap to glue 2 strips of double high 1/4 inch wide, 1/16 inch thick foam on the card and place the card in the box. All my ties are on size 10 or smaller hooks so I get about 15 to 20 flies in one box.

[LadyFisher]

What a neat idea! Thanks for the tip.